1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a condenser for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a condenser for a vehicle that is stacked-plate type in which a receiver-drier portion is integrally formed and that is water-cooled type in which refrigerant is condensed by coolant.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, an air conditioning for a vehicle maintains suitable cabin temperature regardless of ambient temperature and realizes comfortable indoor environment.
Such an air conditioning includes a compressor compressing a refrigerant, a condenser condensing and liquefying the refrigerant compressed by the compressor, an expansion valve quickly expanding the refrigerant condensed and liquefied by the condenser, and an evaporator evaporating the refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve and cooling air which is supplied to the cabin in which the air conditioning is installed by using evaporation latent heat.
Herein, the condenser cools compressed gas refrigerant of high temperature/pressure by using an outside air flowing into the vehicle when running and condenses it into liquid refrigerant of low temperature.
Such a condenser is generally connected through a pipe to a receiver-drier which is provided for improving condensing efficiency through gas-liquid separation and removing moisture in the refrigerant.
An air-cooled condenser which heat-exchanges with the outside air is mainly used for the condenser for the vehicle. Since such an air-cooled condenser has pin-tube structures, entire size of the condenser may be increased so as to improve cooling performance. Therefore, the air-cooled condenser may be hard to be installed in a small engine compartment.
In order to solve such a problem, a water-cooled condenser which uses coolant as refrigerant is applied to the vehicle.
However, the water-cooled condenser, compared with the air-cooled condenser, has lower condensing temperature of the refrigerant by about 5-15° C., and accordingly difference between the condensing temperature and the ambient temperature is small. Therefore, condensing efficiency may be deteriorated due to small sub-cool effect, and accordingly cooling efficiency may also be deteriorated.
In addition, size of a radiator or capacity of a cooling fan may be increased so as to increase condensing efficiency or cooling efficiency of the water-cooled condenser for the vehicle. Therefore, cost and weight may increase and connections between the receiver-drier and the condenser may be complex.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.